The ICHS Shoreline Medical and Dental Clinic is one of only 10 candidates for Building of the Year, as selected by the staff of Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. What a great honor for the Shoreline Medical and Dental Clinic to be among these soon-to-be iconic structures in the region!

The final selection is by votes from the public, so we are asking for your support and relying on the ICHS “can-do” spirit to take us to the top!

International Community Health Services (ICHS) Shoreline Medical and Dental Clinic is pursuing certification as a LEED Gold “green building” with 36 photovoltaic solar panels recently installed on the building’s roof.

The solar panels will allow the facility to harness the power of the sun to generate electricity, and could lead to a reduction of the facility’s energy costs, ICHS officials said. Installation of the panels was completed on Feb. 27.

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold buildings must meet high benchmarks demonstrating that their design, construction, and features benefit the environment.

The Shoreline Medical and Dental Clinic also supports the City of Shoreline’s forevergreen initiative, which promotes environmental sustainability in different areas, including construction of “green buildings” within the city.

“We’re very proud to be part of the City of Shoreline’s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint through energy efficiency and promotion of renewable energy,” ICHS CEO Teresita Batayola said. “When the Shoreline Medical and Dental Clinic was still in the design phase, we made a conscious decision to be an energy-efficient facility and be an active contributor to Shoreline’s forevergreen initiative.”

The 37,000-square-foot Shoreline Medical and Dental Clinic, located at 16549 Aurora Avenue North on a one-acre property, opened last September as the first non-profit community health center in Shoreline. It has 20 medical exam rooms, 10 dental chairs, and 47 parking spaces for patients.

The medical-dental facility earlier was honored with the 2014 Excellence in Masonry – Medical Merit Award from the Masonry Institute of Washington, for the building’s use of durable, sustainable, and natural construction materials.

About ICHSFounded in 1973, ICHS is a non-profit community health center offering affordable primary medical and dental care, acupuncture, laboratory, pharmacy, behavioral health WIC, and health education services. ICHS’ four full-service medical and dental clinics — located in Seattle’s International District and Holly Park neighborhoods; and in the cities of Bellevue and Shoreline — serve over 20,000 patients each year. As the only community health center in Washington primarily serving Asians and Pacific Islanders, ICHS provides care in over 50 languages and dialects annually. ICHS is committed to improving the health of medically-underserved communities by providing affordable and in-language health care. For more information, please visit: www.ichs.com

The ICHS Medical and Dental Clinic won the Medical Merit Award in the Masonry Institute of Washington’s 2014 Design Awards.

“Its a beautiful new facility, and everyone at ICHS is pleased with this award,” said ICHS Operations Director Sherman Lohn. “Congratulations to our contractors who worked hard to create such a wonderful clinic.”

Those contractors are R&D Masonry, Miller Hayashi Architects, and general contractor Lease Crutcher Lewis. The Shoreline Clinic doors opened to patients Sept. 15. The official grand opening celebration was Sept. 25.

Durable, natural and sustainable materials were used to construct the clinic. The exterior has a manganese Ironspot masonry facade and exposed concrete shear walls. The building is very energy efficient, yet the interior includes large windows, high ceilings and a beautiful unique staircase.

The three-story 13,000-square foot clinic has 20 medical exam rooms and 10 dental chairs. Future plans include opening a pharmacy, and there is room for expansion on the third floor.